


It's Not Too Late (abandoned)

by ArabellaTurner



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Internalized Homophobia, Long, M/M, Might add more relationships as I go, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-06-28 14:32:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19814269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArabellaTurner/pseuds/ArabellaTurner
Summary: It's senior year and Richie Tozier can't quite remember what went down that summer all those years ago. Nor can he remember the contents of the reoccurring nightmare he has been having. But he knows that somewhere in those dreams, there is something important that he needs to remember. Something dangerous to forget about. Especially with his ever fading memories. Will Richie and the rest of the losers be able to both remember and protect that which is important to them?I know the tags are a little conflicting on the canonity of this fic. Just assume that it is post-movie completely canon, but the book elements are drawn from but not completely adhered to.





	1. Part 1 - Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I finally saw It this weekend and Richie and Eddie were just as adorable as I thought they would be. I haven't read the book, but I've done enough digging to get the jist of what was left out/changed and the sad fate that befalls our beloved boys. So I'm here to take all the good and rewrite the bad. Because nothing says horror movie like filling it with humor, love, and hope, right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie wakes up after a reoccurring nightmare, but can't quite remember the contents of his dream.

Richie woke up in a cold sweat and scrambled to grab the notebook beside his bed before it was too late, but the memories were already fading. Something was missing, but what? Richie tried to concentrate, to bring back the memory, but before he could, his alarm began to beep. And just like that, the memory was gone.

Cursing, Richie slammed his fist down on his alarm clock to shut it up. He sighed and slammed the notebook shut once more. This was not the first time he had had this dream. Over the course of the past few years, it had been a reoccurring nightmare.

Over time, he had slowly been piecing the details together, but there was still at least one very important one that he was missing. He knew it had something to do with their promise, the one the seven friends made that summer a few years back. The details of the summer were a little hazy in his mind, but he could still remember the fear he had felt. If only he could now remember what happened in his dreams.

Shaking his head to clear it, Richie got up and began to get ready for school. It was the first day of senior year and he had to do some work if he wanted to be ready for it.

Richie took a nice, hot shower before brushing his teeth, shaving, and getting to work on his hair. His hair was an unruly mess of curls, and if he wanted it to look like it wasn’t a disaster, hair spray was the only way to go.

Once Richie was finally satisfied with his hair, he began hunting through his closet for something to wear. He had picked something out the night before, but he wasn’t happy with it anymore and wanted to wear something else.

But after twenty minutes of debating, Richie realized he was going to be late if he didn’t just settle on something and go. With another sigh, he grabbed the initial outfit he had picked out and threw it on.

Richie paused to take one final look at himself in the mirror and shrugged. Not bad. Not particularly good either, but not bad. It would do at the very least.

————

Eddie groaned as his alarm went off. He really wasn’t looking forward to returning to school. Although he was looking forward to the excuse to get out of his house. School was one of the few places Eddie went that his mom didn’t fight him on.

Not that Eddie really listened to what she told him to do anymore. Ever since he learned the truth behind his “sicknesses,” Eddie took all of his mom’s concerns with a grain of salt. While danger and disease certainly did lurk out there, they weren’t worth giving up all semblance of a life to avoid.

And speaking of danger and diseases, where was Richie? It was getting sort of late and he still hadn’t stopped by to pick Eddie up. Eddie hoped it wasn’t his mom’s doing. Knowing her, she would be delighted if she could drive her son to school instead of letting some “filthy” boy do it in her place.

Eddie wished he could just drive himself around, but his mom forbade him from owning a car and it wasn’t a battle worth fighting over when Eddie had friends who could drive. Sometimes Richie even let him take the wheel, just to get in some secret practice.

Eddie began to pace a little. What if something bad had happened to Richie? Although Henry and his gang were all gone now, there were still other forces out there that could maybe hurt his best friend. Like the others, Eddie couldn’t perfectly remember that summer, but the occasional moments of dread were enough to remind him that bad things were lurking out there. And what if one of those bad things had Richie now?

Eddie jumped in shock then sighed in relief when he heard a loud, long beep from a car horn. He took a second to slow the rapid beating of his heart, then grabbed his backpack and placed a quick kiss on his mom’s cheek. He quickly ran outside, not giving his mom time to try and stop him.

He could hear her yelling at him to wait up as he hopped in Richie’s car and closed the door behind him. “I see your mom is really excited to see me again after the fun I had with her last night,” Richie said by way of greeting.

Eddie rolled his eyes and fought back the smile forming on his face. “And good morning to you too, Trashmouth,” he groaned as he buckled up. Richie gave him a lopsided grin. “I see you aren’t denying it today. I’m so glad you’ve finally accepted me as your beloved step-father.”

“Beep, beep, Richie,” Eddie said, making an exaggeratedly disgusted face. Richie backed down, but pouted a little. “I saw a little smile there, Eds. You aren’t supposed to beep me when you’re still enjoying yourself.”

Eddie rolled his eyes again. “You’re delusional if you think I enjoy the idea of you being my step-father. And don’t call me Eds.” Eddie attempted an admonishing tone, but his bemusement got the better of him.

Richie’s pout faded as he reached out to pinch Eddie’s cheek. “You really are just so cute!” he proclaimed with a grin. Eddie swatted his hand away. “Hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, Tozier,” he scolded. “Aye laddie. If ye be insistin!” Richie replied in a terrible Scottish accent, giving Eddie a salute.

“Hands on the wheel,” Eddie scolded again, this time completely failing to hold back his smile. “And that accent was absolutely terrible!” he added. Richie only laughed. The two boys spent the rest of the drive this way, allowing themselves to temporarily forget the stresses of the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that most chapters going forward will be a little longer than this one, but this felt like a good intro place to leave off. I have a feeling this fic is going to be a pretty long one, but I haven't yet decided just how in detail I want to take the part two half. I hope you guys enjoy my happier take on the events post part 1!


	2. Part 1 - chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The losers meet up for their first day of senior year.

Ben Hanscom hummed to himself as he made his way to his new locker. Unlike the rest of his friends, Ben genuinely loved school. There were parts he didn’t enjoy, but his love for learning had never died and now he also had the track team to look forward to.  
  
In his years since he first moved to Derry, Ben’s shape had significantly changed. Where he was once round and flabby, he was now lean and muscular. Between his sharp mind, kind heart, and attractive appearance, Ben’s days of loserdom were long gone. Or at least they would have been had he chosen a different friend group to hang with and a different girl to pine over.  
  
But Ben valued his friends more than he did his status. Why aim to be popular with those who never gave you the time of day before, when you could instead have an idiot miserably failing to sneak up behind you?  
  
Ben grinned as noticed Richie attempting to approach him unseen. His eyes caught those of a rather amused looking Eddie and he made a silent wink, causing Eddie to snicker in return.  
  
A minute later, Richie was locked in a headlock under Ben’s arm and struggling to get out. “Damn Haystack! Never took you for a such a violent person!” Richie complained. Ben rolled his eyes, but let go.  
  
“You started it,” Ben pointed out. Richie just waved his hand to dismiss the technicalities. “You ready to lose to my superior intellect this year?” Richie asked, changing the subject with a grin. Ben made a smug face. “I haven’t lost yet, so I don’t really think there’s much of a competition,” he replied.  
  
Eddie held out a hand to high five his friend as Richie stared dumbfounded at the other boy. “You’re supposed to be the nice one!” Richie complained. Ben laughed and affectionately clapped Richie on the back. “Sorry Richie. You just bring it out in me. I’m sure you’ll get good grades as always!” Ben assured his friend.  
  
Richie laughed and threw one arm around Ben and the other around Eddie. “My word, you two fine gentlemen really are too pure for this world. Whatever would I do without you?” he declared in a horrible southern belle accent.  
  
Eddie snorted and removed the arm from his shoulder. “Well, you certainly wouldn’t have as many victims to torture with those stupid voices!” he goaded. Richie grabbed Eddie by the cheek and started teasing him in some god-awful attempt at a Hispanic accent.  
  
Ben grinned as he stared over at his friends. He really wouldn’t trade these idiots for all the world.  
  
————  
  
The school day progressed about as normally as any other school day. The losers rarely got to see Beverly anymore, but Mike’s absence was more noticeable as the five friends sat down for lunch.  
  
“It su-sucks that even in our senior year, Mike still needs to be homeschooled,” Bill complained. The four others murmured in agreement, ignoring the slight slip up in Bill’s stutter. It was something speech therapy was helping him with, but it still surfaced itself from time to time.  
  
The five friends quickly started up conversation about their first day experiences, but as the conversation went on, Richie found himself starting to zone out. He found his thoughts wandering back to his dreams from the night before. If only there was some way he could remember them more clearly.  
  
Stan frowned when he noticed how quiet Richie had gotten. A quiet Richie was a rare and concerning thing. Nobody else seemed to register the quiet. Bill was in the middle of some story Stan had already heard and Eddie and Ben seemed completely caught up in it. But Richie’s eyes seemed glazed over, as though his mind was in some far off world.  
  
Stan affectionately reached out and poked his friend. “Earth to Richie. You good there?” Richie blinked then shook his head before seeming to snap back to attention. “What’s this? You worried about me, Stan the man?” he asked with an eyebrow wiggle. Stan rolled his eyes.  
  
“More like worried about myself,” he snarked back. “A quiet Richie is a dangerous thing, no doubt coming up with some sort of god awful idea.”  
  
Despite his lighthearted words, Stan’s tone betrayed a hint of concern. Ever since that summer, all of the losers occasionally found themselves lost in worried thoughts. Although it often faded from his mind, there were still moments when Stan closed his eyes and saw that stupid monster staring back at him. If Richie was having a similar experience, Stan wanted to break him free of it.  
  
However, if Richie was lost in dark thoughts, he didn’t show it. Instead, he grinned suggestively at Stan’s words. “I’m just thinking about my fantastic sex with Mrs. K last night. She and I were really got at...” Richie’s sentence was cut off by a gentle smack upside his head and a rather annoyed looking Eddie.  
  
Seeing that Richie had rejoined the conversation, Stan let the matter drop for the moment, but it was not forgotten. Richie had clearly evaded his questions and Stan was going to make sure his friend, however annoying he might be, was doing okay. It was just what the losers did for one another.  



	3. Part 1 - Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys all go swimming in the quarry and start racing each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little fluffier, but I promise it has plot build up. It’s also just nice to see these kids happy! Especially after that trailer was released!

The final bell had barely rung before the five friends were racing to their cars and driving off campus. Around ten minutes later, they found themselves pulling into the quarry. Even after all those years, it was still a favorite hangout spot of theirs.  
  
Eddie grinned and waved as he saw Mike waiting for them by the entrance. “How was school?” Mike asked, heading over to greet his friends. The others just shrugged. “It’s just crazy to think we’re actually seniors,” Bill admitted.  
  
A few of the losers nodded in agreement. “In just one year, we could finally be moving out of this place and living lives elsewhere,” Stan added. “This nightmare town could finally just be a distant memory.” “Until we return to fight It again,” Richie grumbled.  
  
A silence fell over the friends and a few of them blinked as the memory came back to them. Although it was a memory they would all rather just forget, Richie had a point. “Right...” Stan said uncomfortably.  
  
“Until then,” Bill agreed. “And we’ll be ready when the time comes,” he assured everyone. “At least now we know that we will see everyone again after parting ways,” Ben added. The mood softened a little after that. “Yeah,” Stan awkwardly agreed. “At least there’s that.”  
  
————  
  
The boy’s laughter could probably be heard from a mile away, but none of them cared. It felt good to swim their cares away, just like when they were little. And just like when they were little, Eddie was currently in the process of trying to drown a laughing Richie after Richie had made one too many comments about Eddie’s sexy, sexy abs.  
  
“Come on… …Eddie Spa… …ghetti! You… …’re going to… …kill me!” Richie sputtered out as Eddie attempted to hold his head under the water. “Nah,” Eddie laughed. “Your head is full of hot air. You could probably hold your breath for hours and still have enough air in there to breath!”  
  
Richie screwed up his face and stuck out his tongue. “Maybe that’s why your mom is always the one who needs to break off for air first,” he countered before throwing up his arms in protection as Eddie attempted to dunk his head under the water again.  
  
“Hey!” Bill called out. “If you two are quite done trying to kill each other, wanna race?” Eddie and Richie looked at each other for a second, before diving into the water and swimming towards Bill, each trying to push the other one away so as to get there first.   
  
The races were simple. In order to keep things fair, two boys would stay at the starting line, two would go to the finish line, and the other two would square off. This process would repeat until they had a definitive ranking of the six boys.  
  
The first pair up to race was Ben and Bill. The two boys locked eyes with each other, ready to face off. “Okay,” Stan said once Richie and Mike were in place at the other end of the quarry. “On your marks, get set, go!”  
  
Bill took off with an early lead, quickly propelling himself halfway to the finish line before starting to lose steam. Ben, on the other hand, swam with strong, steady strokes until he eventually caught up to Bill.  
  
Seeing that he was about to be overtaken, Bill attempted to push harder, but found himself only growing more winded. Eventually, Ben made his way to the finish line, with Bill still almost a body’s length away.  
  
As Bill gasped for air, Ben held out a hand to shake. After a few more breaths, Bill reached out and grabbed the hand. “And there we have it folks! The winner of round one, Ben “Haystack” Hanscom! Don’t take it too personally Big Bill Denbrough. Although you lost pathetically, you fought valiantly,” Richie declared in a sports announcer voice.  
  
The other boys all just rolled their eyes as Mike and Richie switched spots with Bill and Ben so they could race. Well, race wasn’t really the right word for it. Richie’s scrawny frame was no match for the farm-hardened one of Mike, and Richie was still at the halfway point when Mike reached the finish line.  
  
When Richie finally made his way to the finish line, he found a highly amused Eddie staring back at him. “And the winner of round two, in what was clearly not even a competition, is Mike Hanlon! So tell me Richie “Trashmouth” Tozier, how does it feel to be a total loser?” Eddie asked, imitating Richie from earlier.  
  
“Better knowing that I’m still going to crush you my adorable little Eddie Spaghetti!” Richie snarked, splashing the other boy. Mike snickered a little at Stan’s reaction to being caught in the crossfire before holding out a hand to Richie. “Nice race,” he said diplomatically. Richie made a face, but reluctantly shook it.  
  
The last pair to face off in the first round was Stan and Eddie. “Okay, my little spaghetti boy,” Richie said, clapping Eddie on the back. “I need you to beat Stan the Man here. Then I’ll beat you later, okay?”

Eddie just rolled his eyes and squared up. He didn’t take the competition particularly seriously, but he did want the satisfaction of being ranked higher than Richie. 

And just like that, he and Stan were off. The two swimmers were neck and neck with each other and neither showed any signs of stopping. Until Eddie suddenly cried out. He yanked his arm in towards his chest, eyes wide in shock at the blood pouring into the water.


	4. Part 1 - Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Richie sees Eddie injured, he finally begins to remember his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential trigger warning - continue reading notes for details, but beware minor spoilers:
> 
> One of the losers in this chapter lashes out towards Mike and acts racist in the process

“Eds!” Richie cried out as he dove into the water and began to swim towards his friend. Mike followed closely behind him while Ben and Bill approached from the other side. Meanwhile, Stan grabbed onto Eddie and started dragging him to the water’s edge.

A minute later, Stan pulled Eddie out of the water and took his arm to examine it. For his part, Eddie winced in embarrassment when he saw how everyone was reacting to his injury. While it was true that his arm was bleeding, it was a pretty small injury and not really worth all the fuss.

When he first felt something brush up against his body, Eddie had jolted in shock, knocking into the creature. He supposed he must have angered it, since it then turned and clamped down on his arm. 

But Eddie’s scream had come far more from fear than from pain. He remembered the rows of teeth inside that creature’s mouth and the way it had taunted him. But the creature that swam away from Eddie was nothing but a fish. Nothing more than a stupid, mundane sea creature. 

As Stan examined his arm, Eddie explained what really happened. He laughed a little ruefully at the look of relief that flashed across Stan’s face, then smiled at Bill and Ben as they made their way out of the water.

As Richie came up for a breath of air, he saw Stan pull Eddie in close. He felt a wave of fear rush through his body and froze in place. His head began to pound and his breathing came in in short, rapid spurts. His entire body began to tremble as the memory unfolded.

For his part, Mike made it to the water’s edge a few seconds after Bill and Ben. He turned around to see how far back Richie was and frowned when he noticed the other boy frozen in place. He looked over at Eddie and saw him smiling with just some tiny bite marks in his arm. 

“He’s okay Richie!” Mike called out, hoping to calm his friend down. Only for some reason, Richie didn’t seem to move or acknowledge him. “Richie?” Mike called out again, a little worried now. Richie remained frozen.

With a frown, Mike hopped back in the water and quickly swam back over to Richie. “You okay there, man?” he asked as he approached his friend. Richie turned to Mike with horror in his eyes. “His arm,” he whispered. Mike placed a reassuring hand on Richie’s shoulder. “He’s okay, Richie. It’s just a little bite. Probably from a fish or something.”

Richie swatted Mike’s hand away. “You held me back,” he hissed at Mike. “You, Ben, and Bill wouldn’t let me go back for him. You all abandoned him! You made me abandon him!” Richie snarled, getting louder with each word.

“Richie?” Mike asked nervously, attempting to reach out and calm his friend. “Don’t touch me!” Richie screamed. “Don’t you dare touch me! Get your filthy hands off me you filthy - !” On his last word, Richie lashed out at Mike, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the water, taking some of it in in the process. 

While Mike was coughing up the water he had swallowed, Richie took off. He had to get away from there, away from them. He needed to be alone and absolutely could not let anyone follow him. 

He had been wishing so hard to remember his dreams, but now he wished they had always remained forgotten. Eddie was going to die. He was going to bleed out from a severed arm and die in Richie’s arms. Then he would be left behind, abandoned by all his friends, his body lying somewhere in a filthy sewer. 

————

Stan head the shouting, but was too preoccupied examining Eddie’s arm at first to care. Eddie was the main medic of the group, but when he was the one injured, Stan tended to be the one to step up. Maybe it was just to make sure it wasn’t Richie. Stan knew Richie cared a lot about his friend, but sometimes even his best intentions didn’t go quite right.

And speaking of Richie, his shouting seemed to be growing even louder. Stan turned to the noise just in time to watch Richie shove Mike under the water and swim off. Both Stan and Bill jumped up in surprise and swam out to their friends, leaving Ben behind to make sure Eddie was okay. 

A minute later, they were both by Mike’s side, patting him on the back and making sure he coughed up all the water. Bill made sure Mike’s breathing had returned to normal before asking Mike what had happened.

“I don’t know,” Mike admitted. “Richie almost looked like he was in a trance. Then he started freaking out about Eddie. He claimed that we abandoned Eddie or something, and that we forced him to abandon Eddie as well. Then the bastard lashed out,” Mike explained, his voice growing harsher on the last sentence. 

Bill looked at Mike in confusion, but Stan’s eyes only narrowed. “You’re sure you’re okay now?” he asked Mike. Mike shrugged in affirmation. Stan took a deep breath. “Okay then. I’m going to go check on Richie. I’ll see if I can talk some sense back into him. You two go rejoin the others, okay?”

Bill and Mike hesitated, but eventually Bill nodded in agreement. Stan had a tendency to get rather annoyed at Richie’s antics, but the look on his face was one of concern rather than anger or annoyance, so Bill figured it was fine.

Seeing Bill agree, Mike reluctantly agreed as well. While a part of him was worried about Richie, most of him was just angry. On its own, being called “filthy” wasn’t necessarily racist, but he couldn’t ignore the last word he was pretty sure Richie had called him. And while it was true that the water distorted his hearing, the look on Richie’s face spoke loudly enough.

As one of the few black people living in Derry, Mike already dealt with racism from those who he did not consider his friends. It was something he hated, but couldn’t prevent. But he would be damned if he let one of his friends treat him that way.

So as things stood, Mike was fine with Stan going off to check on Richie, but he had no desire to join him. Mike put up with a lot of Richie’s shit, but racism, no matter how distressed he might have been in the moment, was not something that he was going to tolerate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know that in the book itself, Richie has some racist impressions which are treated as a non-issue, but that won't be the case here. 
> 
> Richie is not a bad person, but he is good with words and bad with his brain, a combination that has now lead him to make a stupid, cruel, and unacceptable mistake that he will need to make up for before he can be forgiven.
> 
> Also poor Mike. He was only trying to help!


End file.
